Governor Brown Signs Abortion Access Bill – SB 623

Published: September 24, 2012

California’s leading reproductive rights groups applauded Governor Brown signing SB 623, an important bill authored by Senator Christine Kehoe (San Diego’s 39th District) that will allow the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), to continue evaluating the safety, effectiveness and satisfaction rates of early abortions performed by nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants under a pilot project.

Already, UCSF data from 16,000 patients have shown that specially-trained clinicians and doctors provided the same quality of care. Women in the study also report being equally satisfied with care from clinicians and doctors, and that they appreciated receiving care in their own communities.

The groups note that with the signing of this bill, California is continuing its role as a national leader in ensuring that women have access to reproductive health care. SB 623 is an important step to ensuring that women around California have access to safe early abortion care.

The ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties fights for equal protection under the law for all people through education, litigation, and policy advocacy.